My fadeaway jump shot is also beautiful, haha...
During the timeout, Coach Gentry, just as LeBron envisioned, instructs Carlos to enhance his aggressiveness and play more assertively.
Soon after the timeout...
As the game resumes, Nash receives the ball at the top of the arc and then hand-delivers it to Carlos. Artest, as always, closely follows, staring at Carlos with eyes that seem ready to devour him.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Carlos receives the ball, casually dribbles with crossovers, and his body moves backward in sync. Then, from a step beyond the three-point line, Carlos, without any warning, takes a shot.
"What?!"
Artest is startled, but his strong defensive awareness allows him to react in a very short time. He rushes over, yet Carlos, with the shooting style reminiscent of "Curry's three-point shot at its peak," releases the ball too quickly. Before Artest can fully react, Carlos has already launched the basketball.
A long-distance three-pointer!
"Swish—"
The basketball cuts through the air and, to Artest's astonished eyes, pierces through the net. The three-pointer is successful.
"Great shot!"
On the bench, Dragic roars, George cheers with raised arms. This is precisely what the Suns need at the moment – a powerful score to boost the team's morale.
"Clap!"
On the court...
Artest gives a firm pat to the back of his head, reminding himself not to be careless and not to underestimate Carlos as a traditional center, especially in terms of his outside shooting ability.
In the next play...
Artest faces Carlos again, who is holding the ball at the top of the arc. Artest, who enjoys freezing opponents' offenses for fun, hasn't found joy in guarding Carlos tonight.
Now...
He becomes more serious, vowing to block Carlos at all costs.
However...
A step beyond the three-point line, Carlos merely glances at Artest and then, like drawing a bow, releases a shot against the defense of the "League's No. 1 Tough Guy."
"Swoosh!"
Another three-pointer.
"Dare to come at me again!"
Artest, who is well-prepared this time, snorts, musters all his strength, jumps up, and blocks Carlos with an explosive display of physical prowess. It's an intimidating move.
Nevertheless, Carlos's shooting speed is truly not just for show. With his height of 215 centimeters and impressive arm length, his shot is difficult to block.
"Swoosh!"
Even though Artest is fully focused, Carlos takes the shot.
"Damn!"
"How is that possible?!"
Artest is both surprised and frustrated. Turning his head repeatedly, in his bewildered expression, the spinning basketball once again plunges into the net.
Another three-pointer!
"Wow—"
"Carlos hits two consecutive three-pointers! As a center, facing the tough defense of Artest, hitting two consecutive three-pointers is impressive!"
In the stands...
David Robinson, "The Admiral," who has seen countless scenes, opens his mouth in surprise at Carlos hitting two consecutive three-pointers. However...
Almost as soon as he finishes speaking...
In the next play...
Carlos dribbles to the left side, Artest keeping a close eye, and Pau Gasol, initially on the wing, decides to get even closer to apply more defensive pressure on Carlos.
Then...
Carlos, with momentum, doesn't hold back. From about 2 meters away on the left arc, he releases another three-pointer.
"What?!"
Even with Artest and Pau Gasol defending seriously, they can't believe that, in a situation where the team is trailing by so much, Carlos, a center, dares to take such a shot.
They rush to block, but it's too late.
"A super long-range three-pointer?!"
David Robinson widens his eyes, unable to believe what he's seeing from Carlos on the court. What's even more unbelievable to him is that the basketball, after a magnificent swish sound, once again penetrates through the net.
"Swish—"
With the wonderful sound of piercing, it's another hollow shot.
Hitting three consecutive three-pointers, including an outrageous long-range shot, Carlos, coming back from the timeout, launches a 9:2 counterattack storm, narrowing the deficit to 7 points.
"Impressive!"
"Carlos's three-point accuracy is unmatched, even by many guards. No, even by many shooters. Carlos is truly incredible!"
David Robinson praises Carlos endlessly.
"Yeah!"
Jabbar also looks surprised and says, "With such height, shooting so accurately, it's impossible to defend. Moreover... he's a center. His three-point accuracy is really beyond belief."
Robinson and Jabbar, invited by Olajuwon to watch the game, didn't know much about Carlos before, which explains their astonishment.
"Hehe!"
Olajuwon, who has some understanding of Carlos, laughs and says, "Carlos is indeed a center with a unique offensive style. However... it takes such three-point comebacks for the Suns to have a chance tonight."
"That's true..."
"Exactly..."
On the court...
"Boom!"
The cheers from the home fans, which had cooled down, erupt once again.
As "The Dream" Olajuwon said, even though the deficit is still 7 points, after Carlos's three-point barrage, the home team's momentum has finally returned.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
At the left arc, Curry once again faces Kobe. He repeatedly changes directions with a series of back-to-the-basket moves, feints, and step-backs. With an ultra-fast shooting speed, Kobe, a beat too slow, fails to block the shot.
"Swoosh!"
The rotating basketball traces a perfectly calculated parabola through the air, hitting the net with a hollow swish sound.
Transitioning from offense to defense...
On the left baseline, Kobe backs down Carter, continuously fakes shoulder movements, suddenly turns, and with a beautiful fadeaway jump shot, scores.
"Your fadeaway jump shot is too beautiful, Basketball God!"
Lakers fans watching this scene up close on the sidelines admire Kobe's picturesque fadeaway shot.
Cool!
However, the Suns, regaining confidence, do not give Kobe and his team the opportunity to build momentum. Carter receives the pass again from Carlos's breakthrough and scores under the basket.
"Boom!"
A two-handed slam dunk is presented.
Although it's not as violent and bloody as the one-handed dunks from previous years, it's a confident move.
The Suns focus on the perimeter, while the Lakers emphasize the inside. The game intensifies, and with 28.5 seconds left before the end, the teams are separated by only 5 points.
Lakers have possession...
Kobe at the top of the arc faces Carlos. Not rushing the attack, he dribbles until there are only 10 seconds left, requests a screen, accelerates, rushes to the right side of the free-throw line, and pulls up.
"Swoosh!"
A fadeaway shot...
With 9.3 seconds left, the Suns inbound quickly. Carlos receives the ball, accelerates in an "S" shape, evades Artest, positions himself at the top of the arc, and Frye steps up for the screen.
"Swoosh!"
Carlos accelerates, shakes off Pau Gasol, reaches the right side of the arc, and with Kobe rushing to defend, with only 3.1 seconds left, Carlos stops abruptly.
"Swoosh!"
Facing Kobe's block attempt, he shoots a fadeaway three-pointer. The ball flies over Kobe's fingertips and goes into the net at the exact moment the shot clock expires.
"Swoosh!"
A buzzer-beating three-pointer.
Facing Kobe's defense, Carlos hits a contested, fadeaway, buzzer-beating three-pointer. The difficulty of this shot is not small.
Carlos is pleased and walks toward the bench, saying, "My fadeaway jump shot is also beautiful, haha..."
"Cut it out!"
"This kid!"
Kobe understands, smiles, and pats Carlos on the shoulder.